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Synonyms

wordplay

American  
[wurd-pley] / ˈwɜrdˌpleɪ /

noun

  1. clever or subtle repartee; verbal wit.

  2. a play on words; pun.

wordplay British  
/ ˈwɜːdˌpleɪ /

noun

  1. verbal wit based on the meanings and ambiguities of words; puns, clever repartee, etc

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of wordplay

First recorded in 1870–75; word + play

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.